Improvement in portable fences



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HAFEIt, OF BEDFOBD, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,329, dated August25, 1874; application filed April 27, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN HAFER, of Bedford, in the county of Bedford andState of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvementsin Fences, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to a fence of that wellknown class in which thepanels are secured together in such manner as to brace and sustain eachother by means of detachable connections or fastenin gs, which admit ofthe fence being taken apart, the panels moved,- and again set up andsecured in position in another place. v

It is the object of my invention to simplify the application and cheapenthe construction of these panel-fastenings, and render them efficient inoperation.

The subject-matter claimed will hereinafter be set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a view in elevation ofa section of my improved fence; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same;Fig. 3, a longitudinal horizontal section through one of the panels;Fig. 4, a view of one of the fastenings; and Fig. 5, a view inperspective, showing the fence as braced.

Each panel of the fence is composed of end posts A A, into roundmortiscs in which are fitted the correspondingly-shaped tenons at theends of the rails B B B The rails are,

' by preference, made polygonal in cross-section, and pass through amiddle post, 0, the mortises in which are also made polygonal, and ofthe full size of the rails, to enable them to he slipped through and thepost adjusted to the proper position, where it may be keyed or nailed.This construction serves to prevent the twisting of the rails or panel.Several of these posts may be employed, if desired, and asmany railsused as deemed necessary to make an open or a tight fence.

The panels are placed end to end, as shown in Fig. 1, and fasteningscomposed of links or double hooks D D (two or more at each end of apanel) are applied so that they hook over the rails and rest against theposts. As the fence is of the worm form it cannot be blown over orknocked down by stock so long as the panels are united, and as thefastenings D D securely connect the panels, a strong fence is produced.Braces E, as shown in Fig. 5, may be employed, if desired; but I do notdeem them necessary except on hillsides and in straight fences to whichmy improved fastenings may be applied.

The fastening-hooks are composed of rodiron bent in the peculiar formshown, the iron being bent at each end at about a right angle. with itscentral part, and the extreme ends then bent downward, by whichconstruction the central part of the fastenings rests against one sideor face of each of two adjacent posts. The hooks rest against the sidesof the posts, at right angles with the sides or faces against which thecentral part rests, the ends of the fastening hooking over the rails.These fastenings can be made very cheaply; they can be easily andquickly applied or removed, and, when inplace, securely unite thepanels, as they are self-locking, without the use of wedges, keys, orother additional parts, and, owing to their form, may be applied eitherto the top or bottom rails, or to the intermediate rails.

I claim as my invention-. The self-locking duplex panel-hook D,constructed as described, and adapted to clasp the rails of two adjacentpanels of a zigzag fence and embrace the contiguous posts of the saidpanels, as and for the purpose specified. In testimony whereof I havehereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN HAFER. Witnesses:

ESPY M. ALsIP, VALENTINE STEOKMAN.

